Chapter 1186
Speak of the Devil
Zhao Liangze broke into a wide grin and winked at her. Then, he nodded at Huo Shaoheng to respectfully say, “Huo Shao, you’ve arrived.”He was on a mission, so he didn’t give Huo Shaoheng a military salute.
Huo Shaoheng smiled back at him.
His physique was much more muscular and tanner than before. From the way Huo Shaoheng saw it, Zhao Liangze looked much better and manlier than he had previously.
All men should look like him.
Huo Shaoheng patted him on the shoulder and said, “…You’ve worked hard.”
That one sentence was enough to make Zhao Liangze nearly burst into tears.
He quickly blinked to quell the sudden moisture in his eyes.
“It wasn’t that hard, it’s… it’s my job.” Zhao Liangze choked up a little as he took a suitcase from Huo Shaoheng’s hand and turned to leave. “Come with me. The car is over there.”
Huo Shaoheng hadn’t actually wanted Zhao Liangze to pick them up from the airport.
But when he told Zhao Liangze that they were visiting Cape Town, Zhao Liangze insisted on picking them up.
Huo Shaoheng saw how pitiful Zhao Liangze looked in the video call, nearly bursting into tears, so he had no choice but to agree.
He had always concealed his emotions as a person, so he would never express himself so openly. But when someone else felt such strong emotions, he would still give them the appropriate amount of respect in return.
Gu Nianzhi hadn’t seen Zhao Liangze for a very long time now. She knew he had left for a mission, but she had no idea that his mission was in Cape Town.
Could this have something to do with her father’s situation?
But Zhao Liangze had already been on his mission for several months now, so had Huo Shaoheng known all this time that her father’s whereabouts had something to do with Cape Town?
Gu Nianzhi couldn’t help but glance at Huo Shaoheng. She badly wanted to speak with him.
Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand and looked at her with his deep-set eyes. His voice was low and magnetic as he asked, “…Would you believe me if I said it was only a coincidence?”
Gu Nianzhi’s eyes rolled as she coldly replied, “Then it’s too much of a coincidence…”
Huo Shaoheng curled his lips into a smile before sweeping his eyes over her plump, curvy lips. He didn’t speak again.
He would have to investigate and find out for sure before determining if it was really a coincidence.
However, Huo Shaoheng honestly felt that the chance of Gu Xiangwen’s survival was dwindling as they continued the investigation.
But Huo Shaoheng couldn’t bear to rain on Gu Nianzhi’s hopes when he saw her that excited.
They got into the car and sped towards the hotel Zhao Liangze had booked for them.
Cape Town was also an international metropolis that faced the Atlantic Ocean. The ocean views were stunning, and many five-star hotels were located there.
This time, Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were disguised as an engaged couple traveling to Africa. Zhao Liangze helped them select an extremely luxurious apartment-style hotel.
The apartment-style hotel was named Lowhill, and it was located near Victoria Beach. Each apartment had its one mini outdoor swimming pool, and the interior was furnished in a modern minimalist style. It was lowkey yet luxurious, with details exuding exquisite features.
Huo Shaoheng already knew that Gu Nianzhi would like this style very much.
As expected, Gu Nianzhi’s eyes suddenly widened when Zhao Liangze dropped them off at the apartment.
“This apartment is so beautiful!” Gu Nianzhi raised her arms and closed her eyes as she lifted her face towards the sky to inhale deeply. Even the air carried the faint saltiness of the ocean breeze.
The sky was a brilliant blue and completely devoid of any clouds. Where the sea and sky intersected, it was so blue that they couldn’t see any boundaries between the two at all.
The entire apartment complex was built on the bay. Looking up, they saw the blue sky, and looking down they saw the deep blue water. Tropical banana trees grew by the door and were planted into the fine white sand.
Even more extraordinary was that the outdoor pools did not have the sharp smell of chlorine.
Zhao Liangze saw Gu Nianzhi stare wide-eyed at the mini private pool in the courtyard and laughed. “The pool water is supposed to be imported directly from the Atlantic Ocean and is changed once a day, so it is already very hygienic without requiring chlorine purification,” he said.
Often used door jambs did not see infestations, and running water never rotted. Gu Nianzhi was well aware of this principle.
She nodded and was a bit disappointed amidst her excitement. “…Too bad the swimming pool is a bit too small. Is this even a swimming pool? I think it looks more like a spa tub.”
“You can use it like a spa tub, too. There is a b.u.t.ton to heat up the water. When you want to take a hot bath tonight, you just need to preheat it,” Zhao Liangze replied.
He had especially chosen this apartment-style hotel for Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng.
Because the hotel charges were higher than the allotted budget, Zhao Liangze had even paid the difference himself.
Zhao Liangze emotionally patted Gu Nianzhi’s head while Huo Shaoheng went to the room to put down the luggage. “Have fun with Huo Shao here, and this can be considered Brother Ze’s early wedding present for you. You can use this place like it’s your honeymoon.”
He winked at Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi’s’ face instantly flushed bright red as she smiled openly and said, “We are very busy. How are we going to find time to have a honeymoon? Brother Ze shouldn’t speak nonsense about things that don’t matter.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll stop talking now.” Zhao Liangze squinted happily and nodded his head like he knew what she was trying to imply. “Get lots of rest tonight. I will take you to my island for vacation tomorrow!”
“Your island?” Huo Shaoheng’s voice quietly sounded from behind Zhao Liangze. “Does that mean I should call you an island owner?”
Zhao Liangze chuckled heartily, then turned around to tell Huo Shaoheng, “Huo Shao, I was just telling Nianzhi to have lots of fun here and treat it as an early honeymoon.”
Huo Shaoheng’s heart throbbed, but he saw Gu Nianzhi look away. He also suppressed his own feelings and snapped at Zhao Liangze, “What are you talking about? We are here for a mission.”
When the mission was mentioned, Zhao Liangze immediately wiped the cheeky grin off his face and almost saluted at Huo Shaoheng.
He replied sternly, “I understand. Huo Sha, please instruct me.”
“Just wait. I will come to the base and tell you tomorrow.” Huo Shaoheng patted his shoulder with a meaningful glance and asked, “Are you staying here tonight?”
Although he was verbally inviting him to stay, his eyes clearly indicated that Zhao Liangze was dead meat if he dared to do so.
The three-bedroom apartment-style hotel Zhao Liangze rented for them was able to fit another two or three people.
But how could Zhao Liangze not understand Huo Shaoheng’s expression?
He immediately resumed his cheeky grin and quickly shook his head, saying, “No, no, no. I am used to living on the island. It’s too comfortable here, and I am afraid it will be too noisy here for me to sleep properly…”
As he said this, he ran away happily so Huo Shaoheng couldn’t raise a brow and kick him in time.
As he ran, he didn’t even look back. He waved his arms in the air and shouted, “Nianzhi! Get lots of rest! I will pick you up and take you shopping tomorrow!”
He ran out of the apartment complex and walked along the narrow sea bridge to the parking lot.
After getting into the car, he quickly started it and drove off.
Just as he pulled onto the main road, Zhao Liangze saw a tall woman wearing a red dress in his rearview mirror.
The fiery red dress was very eye-catching amidst the brilliant blue sky and sea.
In his moment of shock, he caught a glimpse of the woman’s face. She wore huge sungla.s.ses that only revealed her sculpted nose bridge and bright red lips that seemed too full to be Asian.
This physique and facial structure seemed very familiar!
Shock ran through Zhao Liangze’s heart as he quickly brought the car to a screeching halt. When he looked in the rearview mirror again, the woman in red had already disappeared.
His heart hammered wildly in his chest, and he was so nervous that sweat covered his hands and feet. All the strength left his legs instantly, and he almost couldn’t drive.
Why did that woman look so much like Bai Shuang, who haunted his dreams?
Could he be seeing things from his dreams?
Zhao Liangze quickly calmed down before pressing on the accelerator to continue driving.
The apartment-style hotel was in the area by the sea, so it was considered the wealthy district.
But the city was no comparison to the more affluent area.
The roads were pitted and caved in, and the houses were dilapidated. There were a few tall convention centers that appeared occasionally to improve the surrounding area.
Cape Town’s current appearance was like a reflection of the country itself.
It had once been a developed country, but now it was considered lesser than a third-rate nation.
Zhao Liangze felt very distracted as he continued driving to the main road leading into the city from the harbor.
He had only driven a little bit more when he saw the woman in the red dress stepping out of a taxi, carrying a delicate Chanel bag. She stood on the side of the road while looking at her phone.
At that moment, a black man on a skateboard suddenly rushed toward her from behind. When he pa.s.sed by the woman in the red dress, he quickly reached out and s.n.a.t.c.hed her mobile phone!
“Give it back to me!” the woman blurted out in Chinese, and then switched to English to shout, “Help!”
Most of the pa.s.sersby were black people. Everyone looked at her indifferently, and no one went after the robber who escaped on a skateboard.
Zhao Liangze watched the woman wearing high heels chase the robber, and couldn’t control himself anymore. Stepped on the gas pedal, he chased after them with a bang!